TEDWomen 2017
Sunni Patterson: "Wild Women"
Sunni Patterson: "Wild Women" (Mujeres Salvajes)
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Con relámpagos en la lengua, Sunni Patterson recita su poderosa poesía, "Wild Women" (Mujeres Salvajes), acompañada por los deslumbrantes movimientos de la bailarina Chanice Holmes.
Sunni Patterson - Poet
Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, Sunni Patterson combines the heritage, culture, and traditions of her native town with a spiritual worldview to create powerful music and poetry. Full bio
Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, Sunni Patterson combines the heritage, culture, and traditions of her native town with a spiritual worldview to create powerful music and poetry. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
They wanted her piecemealed,
papier-mâchéd,
papier-mâchéd,
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La querían fragmentada, papel maché,
00:16
practically broken,
limp-like and loveless,
limp-like and loveless,
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prácticamente rota, coja y sin amor,
00:20
a litany of exaggeration.
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una letanía de exageración.
00:22
They wanted her low.
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La querían baja.
00:24
And high.
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Y alta.
00:25
Flat and wide.
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Plana y ancha.
00:28
Filled with all of their empty.
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Llena de todo su vacío.
00:31
They wanted her to be more like them.
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La querían más como ellos.
00:34
Not knowing her conception was immaculate.
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Sin saber de su concepción inmaculada.
00:37
That she was birthed
in sandalwood-scented river water,
in sandalwood-scented river water,
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Que nació en las aguas
de un río con olor a sándalo,
de un río con olor a sándalo,
00:40
sweet sapphire honey-touched tongue,
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dulce lengua de zafiro y miel,
00:42
she was too much
of a mouthful for the greedy.
of a mouthful for the greedy.
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demasiado trabalenguas para los ávaros.
00:45
Just a small amount of her
was more than they could stand.
was more than they could stand.
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Un poco de ella era más de lo normal.
00:48
Oh, they wanted her bland.
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Oh, la querían insípida.
00:49
And barren.
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E infértil.
00:51
Unspirited, un-African, uncultured,
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Sin alma, sin ser africana, sin cultura,
00:54
under siege in the streets.
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bajo el asedio de las calles.
00:56
They wanted her face down, ass up,
hands cuffed and ankles strapped.
hands cuffed and ankles strapped.
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La querían bocabajo, con le culo en pompa,
esposada, atada.
esposada, atada.
01:00
They wanted her knowing
she could never want them back.
she could never want them back.
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La querían sabiendo
que ella nunca los querría.
que ella nunca los querría.
01:03
Oh, they wanted her holy,
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Oh, la querían santa,
01:05
baptized in her divine,
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bautizada en su divinidad,
01:07
they wanted her secrets,
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querían sus secretos,
01:08
pearls to swine.
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margaritas para los cerdos.
01:10
They wanted to unravel
the mystery of her design.
the mystery of her design.
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Querían desenmarañar
el misterio de su diseño.
el misterio de su diseño.
01:14
Fascinated by glory,
hypnotized by her kind.
hypnotized by her kind.
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Fascinados por la gloria,
hipnotizados por su clase.
hipnotizados por su clase.
01:17
Oh, they wanted her complete.
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Oh, la querían completa.
01:19
They wanted her whole,
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La querían entera,
01:20
though they came fractioned,
half-hearted, half-soul,
half-hearted, half-soul,
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aunque ellos vinieron fraccionados,
mitad corazón, mitad alma,
mitad corazón, mitad alma,
01:24
with no regards and no knowledge
as to who she really was.
as to who she really was.
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sin miramientos ni conocimientos
sobre quién era de verdad.
sobre quién era de verdad.
01:27
Oh, but if they knew.
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Oh, pero si lo supieran.
01:29
If they knew her,
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Si la conocieran,
01:31
praise songs would rain
from the clouds of their eyes,
from the clouds of their eyes,
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lloverían alabanzas en canciones
de las nubes de sus ojos,
de las nubes de sus ojos,
01:35
clearing the vision, bathing the heart.
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despejando la visión, bañando el corazón.
01:37
They would bow every time they saw her.
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Harían reverencias cuando la vieran.
01:40
Be their best selves when she was around.
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Darían lo mejor de sí a su alrededor.
01:43
If they knew her,
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Si la conocieran,
01:45
knew she was the glue to their revolution,
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sabrían que era
el pegamento de su revolución.
el pegamento de su revolución.
01:47
the life flow of blood
through their veins.
through their veins.
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El curso de la vida
de la sangre en sus venas.
de la sangre en sus venas.
01:50
If they knew her,
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Si la conocieran,
01:52
she would know,
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ella sabría,
01:54
she would feel
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ella sentiría,
01:56
that her body is more than battlefield.
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que su cuerpo es más
que el campo de batalla.
que el campo de batalla.
01:59
More than bone break and bleeding bigotry.
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Más que el hueso roto
y fanatismo sangriento.
y fanatismo sangriento.
02:03
More than bridge
over your troubled conscience.
over your troubled conscience.
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Más que un puente
sobre tu conciencia aquejada.
sobre tu conciencia aquejada.
02:06
More than used up, walked on,
driven through, shot up.
driven through, shot up.
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Más que gastado, andado,
devorado y disparado.
devorado y disparado.
02:09
More than your "Selma, Lord, Selma"
Edmund Pettus.
Edmund Pettus.
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Más que tu "Selma, Lord, Selma"
Edmund Pettus.
Edmund Pettus.
02:13
More than your killer Katrina Danziger.
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Más que tu asesina: Katrina Danziger.
02:16
More than your bust them out of Baltimore
"Highway to Nowhere."
"Highway to Nowhere."
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Más que tu fúgate de Baltimore
"Highway to Nowhere".
"Highway to Nowhere".
02:19
If they knew her,
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Si la conocieran,
02:21
she would know.
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ella lo sabría.
02:23
(Singing)
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(Cantando)
02:51
Wild women,
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Mujeres salvajes,
02:53
wild women, they walk with buffalo.
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mujeres salvajes, caminan con búfalos.
02:55
Have lightning on their tongues,
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Tienen relámpagos en la lengua,
02:57
fly whisks as weapons.
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sacuden escobas como armas.
02:59
Wild women, they walk with machetes.
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Las mujeres salvajes andan con machetes.
03:01
With wisdom, with grace, with ease.
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Con sabiduría, con elegancia, con calma.
03:05
Wild women have hurricanes
in their bellies,
in their bellies,
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Las mujeres salvajes tienen
huracanes en el vientre,
huracanes en el vientre,
03:07
releasing a flood of a lesson.
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que liberan inundaciones de enseñanzas.
03:09
Oh, wild women, they fly free.
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Oh, las mujeres salvajes vuelan libres.
03:12
Just watch their ways,
how they rip and shred.
how they rip and shred.
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Observa sus caminos,
sus rasgados jirones.
sus rasgados jirones.
03:15
Oh, who can understand her,
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Oh, quién puede entenderla,
03:17
this winding Niger river of a woman
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a ella que es el sinuoso río Níger
03:20
one who is unafraid to tear away
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uno que no tiene miedo de atreverse
03:23
only to roam and then become the wind.
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solo para vagar y convertirse
en el viento mismo.
en el viento mismo.
03:26
She who speaks in gusts and cyclones
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Ella que habla en ráfagas y ciclones
03:30
blasting us back to high ground,
high consciousness,
high consciousness,
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haciéndonos volar de vuelta a la tierra,
alta conciencia,
alta conciencia,
03:34
she turns and so does the world.
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se da la vuelta y el mundo también,
03:37
Feel her spinning,
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Siente como gira,
03:38
spanning several lifetimes.
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abarcando varias vidas.
03:40
Hear her speaking, sparking alarm.
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Escúchala hablar, alarma chispeante.
03:43
See her dancing, summoning the dead,
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Mírala bailar, invocando a la muerte,
03:46
resurrecting new life.
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resucitando nueva vida.
03:48
Heaven hears her knocking on the door,
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El cielo la escucha llamar a sus puertas,
03:51
safely transporting the ones
who call for her assistance.
who call for her assistance.
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transportando con cuidado
a los que buscan su ayuda.
a los que buscan su ayuda.
03:55
Wild women, they open
portals to new worlds,
portals to new worlds,
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Las mujeres salvajes
abren portales a mundos nuevos,
abren portales a mundos nuevos,
03:59
new speech, new dreams.
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discursos nuevos, sueños nuevos.
04:02
Oh, dearly beloveds,
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Oh, queridos míos,
04:05
so dearly departed
from the ways of the guardian,
from the ways of the guardian,
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qué queridos fallecieron lejos
de los caminos del que les guarda,
de los caminos del que les guarda,
04:08
beware.
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tengan cuidado.
04:10
For wild women are not to be tamed.
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Porque a las mujeres salvajes
no se las puede dominar.
no se las puede dominar.
04:15
Only admired.
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Tan solo admirar.
04:17
Just let her in and witness her
set your days ablaze.
set your days ablaze.
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Déjala entrar y sé testigo
de cómo quema tus días.
de cómo quema tus días.
04:25
(Cheers) (Applause)
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(Aclamación) (Aplausos)
04:27
Thank you.
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Gracias.
04:28
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sunni Patterson - PoetOriginally from New Orleans, Louisiana, Sunni Patterson combines the heritage, culture, and traditions of her native town with a spiritual worldview to create powerful music and poetry.
Why you should listen
Emerging from the musical womb that is New Orleans, Sunni Patterson combines the heritage of her native town with an enlightened modern style to create music and poetry that is timeless in its groove. She began her career as a full-time high school teacher, and much of her life since has been devoted to serving as a cultural worker and grassroots activist, using art and poetry to encourage dialogue and healing.
She has been a featured performer at many of the nation's premier spoken-word venues, including HBO's Def Poetry and BET’s Lyric Cafe. She also had the privilege of speaking at the Panafest in Ghana, West Africa and has collaborated with artists and performers, including Hannibal Lokumbe (singing lead vocals for his score, ”King and the Crescent City Moon"), Kalamu Ya Salaam, Sonia Sanchez, Wanda Coleman, Amiri Baraka, Mos Def, Eve Ensler, The Last Poets and many more.
Sunni Patterson | Speaker | TED.com